| Abstract: | Access to roads is the key component that significantly improves the quality of life. The road facilities for the rural residents, such as transportation services, easy access to marketplaces, and better employment opportunities, promote economic growth and boost access to education, healthcare, and other resources. Such improvement leads to enhanced living standards and poverty reduction. Rural roads in India have been constructed under a number of government development projects, including the National Rural Employment Programme, the Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme, the Employment Assurance Scheme, etc. Though these developmental projects extend the length of rural roads, a lack of sufficient maintenance has resulted in rapid deterioration of the roads, rendering them inaccessible during rainy seasons. Addressing these massive rural road connectivity gaps, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched on December 25, 2000, to provide all-weather road access to previously inaccessible communities. It also facilitates upgrading existing roads where all eligible habitations meet the population size requirement for the scheme for all-weather road connectivity. This study is an attempt to evaluate the various outcomes of PMGSY on rural development in Meghalaya’s South-West Garo Hills. The paper assesses the current status of the scheme and offers recommendations for future research and policymakers. |
